Alexandros Vassilikos, President Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association

Philoxenia 2013 greeting.

My dear friends and colleagues,

Sectoral exhibitions are firmly established for the tourism family and continue to remain an important meeting point for the productive efforts of tourism professionals.

The challenge is for all of us, from year to year, to discover new ways to communicate and new topics to focus on, so this “sectoral” meeting remains interesting and effective.

From the side of the Athens-Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association, we must note that Athens -apart from a European historical capital with the most renovated tourism infrastructure ideal for conferences, business meetings, city breaks, cruise etc.- at the same time is the only capital that provides beautiful and picturesque islands, merely a stones throw away from the historic and commercial center, and has one of the most beautiful rivieras in Europe. Thus, the city
is a great holiday destination that offers many options and activities at competitive prices for those who choose to visit.

The latest statistics of 2013 that confirm an increase in the Greek capital’s tourist traffic and occupancy, also reveal that more and more travelers are discovering the (until today) unknown (to many) “face” of Athens. They choose the destination and desire to discover new experiences and new “packages” that combine the destination’s many advantages (archaeological and historical sites, a great number of museums, day trips to neighboring islands, shopping, swimming, sports, alternative routes to neighboring beaches and of course -in the heart of the destination- congress and exhibition halls of high standards, a rich market, major medical centers, and much much more).

We, the hoteliers in Athens, believe in the dynamic character of the destination and invite you to visit us so we can guide you to the eternal Athens.

We wish every success to the Philoxenia exhibition.